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Tony Parker retires after 18 seasons

Mark Brown / Getty Images Sport / Getty

After 18 NBA seasons, four-time champion and six-time All-Star Tony Parker is hanging up his sneakers.

"I'm going to retire," the 37-year-old told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "I decided that I'm not going to play basketball anymore."

After entering the league as the No. 28 pick in 2001, Parker spent his first 17 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. Forming a powerful triumvirate with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili under head coach Gregg Popovich, that specific group of Spurs captured NBA titles in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014, making an additional Finals appearance in 2013.

Between his first All-Star campaign in 2005-06 and his sixth and final All-Star season in 2013-14, Parker averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 assists, and three rebounds per contest. From 2012-14, he was selected to three straight All-NBA second teams.

The Frenchman posted 24.5 points, five rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2007 Finals. He was named Finals MVP for his efforts, becoming the first European to earn that distinction.

Parker later left the Spurs to sign a two-year, $10-million contract with the Charlotte Hornets last summer. In 2018-19, he averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 assists in just under 18 minutes per game off the Hornets' bench.

"A lot of different stuff ultimately led me to this decision," Parker added. "But, at the end of the day, I was like, 'If I can't be Tony Parker anymore and I can't play for a championship, I don't want to play basketball anymore.'"

Overall, Parker averaged 15.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.7 rebounds during 1,254 career regular-season games.

In his retirement, Parker said he intends to split his time between San Antonio and his native France.

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